30 Day Meditation Challenge: Day 26

Thursday December 31, 2009: So, as I mentioned in my previous post, we’ve been away at a vacation rental near Luray to welcome in 2010 and we had no internet access. I had assumed this would be the case so I just made some daily notes about each meditation and I’m catching up on posts now. Although I did a yoga practice in the morning (with a lovely view of the mountains) I did not opt to meditate then. Instead I waited until early evening. At first I was kind of kicking myself about this decision because the house was actually pretty quiet in the morning and by evening we were 6 in the house. Due to the aforementioned thin walls and the fact that the new year celebrations were now underway, it was tough to find a quiet spot. The previous evening, I had tried meditating on the bed in our upstairs bedroom. But, sounds from downstairs really carried up there so I decided to try the lower level instead. I pulled out my yoga mat and meditation shawl and sat on a cold, tile floor facing a doorway. My spot was a little short on atmosphere but I settled in a little easier than the previous evening. Although I could still hear my friend’s voices, laughing and talking, it actually provided a really soothing backdrop rather than a distraction. Instead of being compelled to open my eyes, jump up, and go join them, I actually enjoyed sitting there sort of cocooned by their celebrations but not a part of them. Their voices were sort of my mantra for this meditation as I followed their rhythm and felt the joy in the sounds. My final meditation of 2009 was devoid of fireworks – no extraordinary lights or colors, no dazzling insights. Instead, I would describe this meditation as having a quiet sweetness that I wanted to linger in. And maybe for a naturally fiery person like me, that is progress.